A man has suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound on the lawn of the White House, forcing the building into lockdown.

President Donald Trump was not in Washington when it happened - instead at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

He has been briefed on the situation, says the White House, reports the Mirror.

Staffers dashed to safety as secret service officers descended on the scene in Washington DC.

The man has not been identified, and it is not yet known how seriously he was injured.

The US Secret Service posted on Twitter: "Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of (the) White House."